Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Parsons Point

38.90°N · 76.25°W · Cape · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

73/100Great
Now
5410 AM EDT
Best window
1-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score54Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind10 kn NEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy70% cloud
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spanish mackerel is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.

Source: Maryland DNR · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Maryland

Spot profile

Parsons Point

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSpanish mackerel

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Parsons Point

Parsons Point is a cape in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Scup
Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Wells Cove

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 62

    10 kt NEH 12:59 PM · 1.2 ftL 6:40 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Crab Alley Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    61
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 61
    • Spot 61
    • Red drum 58

    10 kt NEH 1:55 PM · 1.4 ftL 7:45 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Normans Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Scup 55
    • Spot 55

    10 kt NEH 1:55 PM · 1.4 ftL 7:45 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Narrow Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Scup 55
    • Spot 55

    10 kt NEH 1:55 PM · 1.4 ftL 7:45 PM · 0.8 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.